Gourdet v. Holder

Filing 920091104

Opinion

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var WPFootnote1 = ' Pursuant to Fed. R. App. P. 43(c)(2), Attorney General Eric\
H. Holder, Jr. has been substituted for former Attorney General\
Michael B. Mukasey as the respondent.\
'

var WPFootnote2 = ' Of the Tenth Circuit, sitting by designation. \
'

var WPFootnote3 = ' The IJ distinguished local detainees from criminal\
deportees, such as Gourdet. \
'

var WPFootnote4 = ' The IJ also denied Gourdet\'s applications for asylum,\
withholding of removal, and voluntary departure. Gourdet\'s\
petition does not challenge the disposition of these claims, and\
therefore we do not discuss them. \
'

var WPFootnote5 = ' However, we reject Gourdet\'s argument, relying on an\
overruled Third Circuit opinion, Lavira v. Att\'y Gen., 478 F.3d 158\
(3d Cir. 2007), that specific intent to cause severe physical or\
mental pain or suffering can be established through a showing of\
indifference or willful blindness to such harm. That is not the\
law. Pierre v. Att\'y Gen., 528 F.3d 180, 189 (3d Cir. 2008) (en\
banc); Villegas v. Mukasey, 523 F.3d 984, 989 (9th Cir. 2008);\
Pierre v. Gonzales, 502 F.3d 109, 118 (2d Cir. 2007). \
'

var WPFootnote6 = ' The BIA further found that there was no evidence that\
Haitian authorities intentionally and deliberately created and\
maintained substandard prison conditions in order to inflict\
torture. Instead, the evidence showed that the prison conditions\
were the result of budgetary and management problems in the\
country. Id. at 301. \
'

var WPFootnote7 = ' We note that Elien and Settenda were decided prior to the\
enactment of the REAL ID Act of 2005, and therefore had a broader\
scope of review. \
'

var WPFootnote8 = ' Gourdet also contends that he has met his burden to show\
that torture of criminal deportees in Haiti is "routine and\
widespread," and that, because of his personal characteristics, he\
is more likely to be singled out for mistreatment by Haitian\
authorities. However, the BIA found that Gourdet provided\
insufficient evidence on these points. We lack jurisdiction to\
review these factual findings by the BIA. Conteh, 461 F.3d at 63.\
'

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